Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

What are your plans for the Fourth of July? If you are coming to Pigeon Forge for the Fourth, you’ll be enjoying burgers hot off the grill, a free concert featuring the best acts in country music, and one of the Southeast’s finest fireworks displays. It’s all part of Pigeon Forge’s 16th Annual Patriot Festival, and if your celebration of Independence Day does not include a visit to Pigeon Forge, you’re missing out!

The 16th Annual Patriot Festival is your ticket to a memorable Fourth of July celebration. Why settle for watching a televised fireworks display while listening to the neighbors blast off bottle rockets when instead, you can experience the sight of the rockets’ red glare for yourself in Pigeon Forge? Why labor over a hot grill at home when you can browse vendors’ grilled cuisine at Patriot Park while enjoying the rhythm of live performances?

Don’t settle for anything less than the best for your celebration of American Independence. This year, join your fellow Americans in Pigeon Forge for a celebration that pays tribute to the American Spirit. If you are not already in town for the July Third Midnight Parade in Gatlinburg, you need to arrive in Pigeon Forge by 5:00 to catch the start of the Patriot Festival.The festivities open with a tribute to veterans and a stirring medly of patriotic tunes sung by the Pigeon Forge Chorus. Afterwards, you can indulge your ears with the bluegrass and blues of Blue Mother Tupelo. Look forward to the country-western songs of Don Edwards and the Gillete Brothers before The Oak Ridge Boys take to the stage in prelude to the Fireworks Display! The display will begin around 9:30 PM above the beautiful riverside Patriot Park.

The park’s grounds are ideal for sitting back and enjoying the fireworks, so it is a good idea to bring a blanket to sit on or a chair you can carry with you. Parking at Patriot Park is very limited, so consider riding the Fun-Time Trolley to Patriot Park. The Pigeon Forge Lion’s Club will be renting all¬-day parking spots within walking distance to Patriot Park for the event for five dollars. Look for these parking spaces north from the intersection of Teaster Lane and Middle Creek Road, between the Exxon service station and the Cycle Quest Bike Shop. Patriot Park is located on Old Mill Street at traffic light number 7, just behind the historic Old Mill. For a map of Patriot Park, view this map from Google Maps. See you there!

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This lovely June weekend, take a hike and see for yourself the marvelous natural treasures you can find only in the Smoky Mountains! From unique flower hybridization patterns, majestic waterfalls, nearly vertical slopes of rock and greenery, to historic settlement remains, the Smoky Mountains should be explored and enjoyed during your Pigeon Forge vacation!

Here are just a few hiking options, compliments of the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club:

June 24: This is a very difficult seven-mile challenge up Roaring Fork to Mount LeConte. The elevation gain of 2,700 feet and the rough off-trail terrain is meant for only the toughest hiker. Call leaders Dick (865-483-3792) and Alan (865-908-9867) for more details.

June 24: The hike through Baskin Creek Trail to the falls is an easy, short, 3.3 mile stroll! Meet the group at 8 Saturday morning in the Alcoa Food City parking lot. Contact the group leader, Laura, at 865-985-3194 with questions.

June 24-25: Take a backpacking excursion to Hazel Creek this weekend! The 12-mile journey is moderately difficult, but promised to be fun filled with historic scenery to boot. The trip embarks with a boat ride up Fontana Lake, then a six-mile hike to Campsite 83. On the way notice the remains of historic towns Proctor and Medlin. At night, peer into the darkness, and if you are lucky, you will catch the very end of the rare synchronous firefly mating ritual. The fireflies inhabit the area around the campsite. Call trail leader, Kathleen (865-696-0256) for more information and to register.

If you prefer to venture into the woods on your own and view the Smoky Mountain scenery at your own pace, be sure to visit our Smoky Mountain page for more hiking ideas and trail information.

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The Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center (on State Route 73) in Townsend, Tennessee, presents a series of eight concerts beginning Saturday, June 17th. The performances will be held in the 500-seat open-air auditorium from 6 to 8:30 p.m. throughout the summer. Here is the musical lineup:

June 17: The noteworthy Broadway Swing Band, featuring "Marshal" Andy Smalls kicked off the concert series this past Saturday.

June 24: Enjoy some bluegrass and Americana mountain music with Wild Blue Yonder.

July 4: Jacqui & The Tumblekings will rock out on Independence Day playing their classic country-western music.

July 14: Come out for some good ole' ballads, stories, and Southern Appalachia style music with the Lost Mill String Band.

July 21: The Mystery Mountain Boys will begin their bluegrass set a little early, at 5:30 p.m. Come and feast your ears all night!

July 22: A unique performance of acoustic swing music will feature vocalist Nancy Brennan Strange with the Tennessee Sheiks.

August 19: Music from "The Bearded Old Time" will fill the night with delightful tunes.

September 1: Enjoy some moody, Chicago blues with Slow Blind Hill.

The cost is $4 for adults and $3 for senior citizens and students. Members of the Heritage Center and children ages 5 and under may attend for free. Bring cushions and blankets to make your amphitheater seats cozy, and bring some cash for refreshments provided by local vendors. Call 865-448-0044 with questions.

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This Friday and Saturday the Parkway will be fired up with Camaro, Chevelle, and Nova cars on display in the 2006 Southern Nationals Association Car Show! Headquartered at the Music Road Hotel and Convention Center, this car show is a recipe for excitement and education for all who attend.

Visitors can look forward to interactive displays, informative workshops, a well-stocked swap meet, and a myriad of marvelous cars to explore! But that is not all...

The night life in Pigeon Forge includes great restaurants, theaters, and attractions like go-cart tracks, putt-putt courses, and exhibits to enjoy. Every rod run and car show that Pigeon Forge hosts is an overwhelming success and a great experience for all who attend.

For more information call 423-623-2446 or 1-800-429-7700.

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In the classic film The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy finds herself blown by a fierce tornado, landing in a magical place unlike anything she’s ever imagined. In Pigeon Forge, magic that even a wizard would be proud of has made a landing on the Parkway. An upside-down-crash-landing, that is. The WonderWorks, Pigeon Forge’s newest attraction, appears as if it has crash landed right on top of the old Music Mansion.

Some say it was blown there from the Bermuda Triangle by a tornado when the wacky science experiments going on inside the monumental building got out of hand, unleashing a powerful wind that carried the building all the way to Pigeon Forge. However the building got here, one thing is sure: Pigeon Forge is lucky to have the WonderWorks! At the WonderWorks, visitors to Pigeon Forge can try out the equipment in the lab. Flight simulators, hurricane simulators, and earthquake simulators are some highlights. For the daring, a bed of nails awaits adventurous nappers. The starry-eyed can step into a space suit for a photo opportunity, while the strong-willed can try the “extreme 360” bicycle that travels upside down. The 55,000 square foot interactive exhibit features all of this and more. Based on a popular Orlando, Florida attraction, this larger and brand new Pigeon Forge WonderWorks features exhibits similar to those found in Orlando, like virtual sports, a dragster simulation, and a “WonderWall” that makes copies of anything pressed into it! The Pigeon Forge WonderWorks’ official Grand Opening takes place later this month, to be followed by the opening of the 300 seat dinner theater later in the summer. See a video of the WonderWorks. For the official WonderWorks page in Orlando, click here. For more details, call WonderWorks at 865-868-1800.

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Did you ever catch fireflies when you were a child? If you did, you probably remember the amazement you felt when you saw the small marvels flash brightly against a warm summer night sky. You can relive that wonder or share it with your own children by visiting Pigeon Forge and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park this June. But be warned: the fireflies in the Smokies are unlike anything you’ve ever seen!

If you are visiting Pigeon Forge anytime from June 9 through June 19, you can take advantage of the synchronous firefly viewing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. These fireflies, a new discovery in the Smokies, are unique because they flash all together at once. The display of light is astounding! The popularity of firefly viewing led to the creation of a trolley service to the Elkmont area of the Smokies to allow visitors to see the fireflies easily and safely. Visitors who are interested in viewing the fireflies should know that the trolley service is the only way to access the Elkmont area from now until June 19 during the evening hours. Beginning at 6 PM , the trolley service offers a round trip from the Sugarlands Visitors Center near Gatlinburg to the Elkmont viewing area for a fee of one dollar. Trips to Elkmont will continue until 9 PM, and the last trip back from Elkmont will leave at 11 PM. No traffic other than the trolleys will be permitted to travel to Elkmont during these times. Visitors may bring water and something to sit on, but pets, coolers, and alcoholic beverages should not be brought into the park. Park Rangers will be at the site to assist visitors and hand out red cellophane to filter the white light of flashlights. The fireflies at Elkmont begin to flash at 9:30 PM.

Although it was once thought that the synchronous fireflies were only found at Elkmont, the fireflies can be viewed in any area of the Park similar to Elkmont where a river flows through the low elevations of the park. Similar conditions are found alongside major roadways in the National Park, so if you would like to explore on your own, you may find the fireflies in these areas, as long as you are away from headlights. The numerous marked quiet walkways adjacent to these roadways are an ideal place to look for synchronous fireflies. If you are visiting
Pigeon Forge and the Smokies after June 19, you can still see the synchronous fireflies at higher elevations later in the month. For an experience like nothing else, visit Pigeon Forge this June and see the synchronous fireflies. For more information about synchronous firefly viewing in the Smokies, visit the National Park Service information page about the fireflies.

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